‘Phumtham’, Chairman of the National Water Resources Committee, called an urgent meeting for all agencies to monitor and quickly resolve the flood situation in 6 provinces, revealing that Prime Minister ‘Paethongtarn’ is concerned and asked them to take care of the people. ‘Thammanat’ stated that the Yom River basin is the most worrisome, ordering the Royal Irrigation Department to drain water from the north through the main river and tributaries to the Chao Phraya Dam as little as possible. He asked people not to panic at this time, as there is no storm yet.
Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, acting as the Prime Minister in his capacity as Chairman of the National Water Resources Committee (NWRC), along with Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Captain Thammanat Prompow, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Permanent Secretary of the Ministr
y of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Secretary-General of the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department, and representatives from relevant agencies held an urgent meeting to monitor the water situation and receive instructions on flood surveillance and mitigation.
Mr. Phumtham said that he called an emergency meeting to let all agencies know the water situation and weather forecasts so that they have a common understanding, and he ordered them to work according to the plan. Last night, he coordinated with various ministers to solve immediate problems urgently, until many situations were alleviated, such as bringing students who were stuck in a building at Wiang Kaen Wittayakhom School, Wiang Kaen District, Chiang Rai Province, who were all rescued.
At present, Mr. Anutin has assigned the governors of flood-affected provinces and areas at risk as predicted by ONWR to set up incident co
mmand centers to quickly resolve the situation, and for the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to immediately provide assistance to the people, including considering the legal issues regarding the possibility of declaring flood-risk areas as disaster areas in order to integrate various agencies to deploy manpower and machinery for disaster prevention and mitigation.
For the Ministry of Agriculture, Lt. Col. Thammanat ordered the Royal Irrigation Department to manage water systematically from the beginning, middle and end of the stream, including managing water in reservoirs appropriately. As for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, it will monitor and keep watch on the situation in conservation forest areas, while the Ministry of Commerce will take care of consumer goods, so that there will not be a shortage. As for the Ministry of Education, it will consider the risks in the area. If it is found that there is a risk of flooding, schools will be closed.
At the same time, the ONWR
will coordinate with the Ministry of Transport to determine where there are obstacles blocking the water and where there are additional drainage channels. The Ministry of Defense will also be coordinated to prepare a Bailey bridge in case the road is cut off.
Mr. Phumtham said that the Royal Irrigation Department reported that in the drainage of water from the north, it can be discharged into the reservoir of the Sirikit Dam, which has about 60% of the water, so it can accommodate another 40% of the water. The water flooding in Chiang Rai and Phayao provinces will be divided into the Mekong River. It is expected that the flooding situation will ease in 2-3 days in the Yom River basin, which is the most severe because of heavy rain in Phrae and Phayao provinces. In Phayao province, especially yesterday (August 21), the accumulated rainfall in 24 hours was as high as 237 millimeters. Therefore, a plan must be made to manage water traffic to reduce the amount of water flowing into the lower areas to protect Suk
hothai city, which the Yom River flows through and cannot accommodate much water. Coordination must also be made to divide water into the Bang Rakam fields. Most recently, the ONWR has set up a frontline water management center in Sukhothai province. The most important thing is to collect data on weather forecasts, rainfall, water volumes and water levels in various rivers to assess the situation for prevention and relief of possible disasters.
Mr. Phumtham said that Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, the Prime Minister who is still unable to perform her duties, is concerned about the flood situation that is currently occurring, so she has asked that she help take care of all the affected people.
Lt. Col. Thammanat said that he has now ordered the Royal Irrigation Department to accelerate the drainage of the Yom River by holding back the water in the area north of the Ban Hat Saphan Chan water gate. Then, some of the water will be diverted into the Yom-Nan Canal through the Khlong Hok Baht water gate before being
drained into the old Yom River and the Nan River in order. As for the downstream part, it will be drained into the main Yom River, with water being divided into irrigation systems on both the left and right banks to control the amount of water flowing through Sukhothai City to be at an appropriate level. Dividing the Yom water into tributaries on both the left and right banks is a way to distribute water, especially by diverting water into the Nan River to be drained into the Sirikit Dam, allowing the water from the north to flow down to the lower part at the Chao Phraya Dam in the least amount possible.
Source: Thai News Agency